Black vs. White — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on November 2, 2023
Black absorbs all light and color; white reflects them, symbolizing darkness and light respectively.
Difference Between Black and White
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Black is the absence of color, absorbing all light in the color spectrum. White is the combination of all colors of light, reflecting them equally. They represent two extremes on the scale of light and color perception.
In cultural symbolism, black often signifies mystery, elegance, or negativity, while white typically represents purity, peace, or positivity. Their associations vary greatly across different cultures and contexts.
Black can signify formality and sophistication in attire, as in a "black-tie event," whereas white is often associated with simplicity and cleanliness, as seen in the concept of a "white sale" for linens.
In print and media, black text on a white background is the standard for clarity and readability, showing how the two colors are used in complement. Black and white photography, meanwhile, is prized for its timeless quality and artistic focus on contrast and composition.
While black can be seen as powerful and authoritative, white often implies neutrality or impartiality, such as in the white flag of surrender.
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Comparison Chart
Light Absorption
Absorbs all light
Reflects all light
Symbolism
Often signifies mystery or sophistication
Represents purity or peace
Fashion
Formal, elegant
Simple, clean
Usage in Print
Standard for text
Standard for background
Cultural Meanings
Can suggest sophistication or negativity
Associated with positivity or simplicity
Compare with Definitions
Black
Without any moral goodness; wicked.
The villain in the story had a black heart.
White
Characterized by the presence of all the wavelengths of visible light without absorption.
The artist used white to lighten her painting.
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and gray.
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of fresh snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black.
Black
Of the very darkest colour owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white
Her long black hair
Black smoke
White
The achromatic color of maximum lightness; the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; the complement or antagonist of black, the other extreme of the neutral gray series. Although typically a response to maximum stimulation of the retina, the perception of white appears always to depend on contrast.
Black
Belonging to or denoting any human group having dark-coloured skin, especially of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry
Black adolescents of Jamaican descent
White
The albumen of an egg.
Black
Characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism
The future looks black
Five thousand men were killed on the blackest day of the war
White
The white part of an eyeball.
Black
Denoting a covert military procedure
Clearance for black operations came from the highest political level
White
A blank or unprinted area, as of an advertisement.
Black
(of goods or work) not to be handled or undertaken by trade union members, especially so as to express support for an industrial dispute elsewhere
The union declared the ship black
White
Whites Pieces of laundry having a white or nearly white color.
Black
Black colour or pigment
A tray decorated in black and green
White
Whites White pants or a white outfit of a special nature
Tennis whites.
Black
A member of a dark-skinned people, especially one of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry
They tend to identify strongly with other blacks
White
Whites The white dress uniform of the US Navy or Coast Guard.
Black
The situation of not owing money to a bank or of making a profit in a business operation
It is hoped the club will be back in the black by the end of the season
An insurance company operating in the black will be able to pay for further growth
I managed to break even in the first six months—quite a short time for a small business to get into the black
White
A white wine.
Black
Blackcurrant cordial
A rum and black
White
A white pigment.
Black
Make (something) black, especially with polish
The steps of the house were neatly blacked
White
A white breed, species, or variety of animal.
Black
Refuse to handle (goods), undertake (work), or have dealings with (a person or business) as a way of taking industrial action
The union blacked the film because overtime was not being paid
White
Any of various butterflies of the subfamily Pierinae, characteristically having chiefly white wings often with black markings.
Black
Being of the color black, producing or reflecting comparatively little light and having no predominant hue.
White
Also White A member of a racial group having light-colored skin, especially when of European origin and in some classifications also when of Middle Eastern or North African origin.
Black
Having little or no light
A black, moonless night.
White
Often whites Products of a white color, such as flour, salt, and sugar.
Black
Of or belonging to a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin
The black population of South Africa.
White
The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.
Black
Of or belonging to an American ethnic group descended from African peoples having dark skin; African American.
White
The player using these pieces.
Black
Very dark in color
Rich black soil.
Black, wavy hair.
White
The outermost ring of an archery target.
Black
Being a trail, as for skiing, marked with a sign having a black diamond, indicating a high level of difficulty.
White
A hit in this ring.
Black
Soiled, as from soot; dirty
Feet black from playing outdoors.
White
Whites(Medicine) Leukorrhea.
Black
Evil; wicked
The pirates' black deeds.
White
White A member of a conservative or counterrevolutionary faction, especially one opposing the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war.
Black
Cheerless and depressing; gloomy
Black thoughts.
White
Being of the color white; devoid of hue, as new snow.
Black
Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor
A black comedy.
White
Weakly colored; almost colorless; pale
White wine.
Black
Marked by anger or sullenness
Gave me a black look.
White
Pale gray; silvery and lustrous
White hair.
Black
Attended with disaster; calamitous
A black day.
The stock market crash on Black Friday.
White
Bloodless; blanched.
Black
Deserving of, indicating, or incurring censure or dishonor
“Man ... has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands” (Rachel Carson).
White
Light or whitish in color or having light or whitish parts. Used with animal and plant names.
Black
Wearing clothing of the darkest visual hue
The black knight.
White
Also White Of or belonging to a racial group of people having light-colored skin, especially when of European origin, and in some classifications also when of Middle Eastern or North African origin
Voting patterns within the white population.
Black
Served without milk or cream
Black coffee.
White
Habited in white
White nuns.
Black
Appearing to emanate from a source other than the actual point of origin. Used chiefly of intelligence operations
Black propaganda.
Black radio transmissions.
White
Accompanied by or mantled with snow
A white Christmas.
Black
Disclosed, for reasons of security, only to an extremely limited number of authorized persons; very highly classified
Black programs in the Defense Department.
The Pentagon's black budget.
White
Incandescent
White flames.
Black
Chiefly British Boycotted as part of a labor union action.
White
Intensely heated; impassioned
White with fury.
Black
The achromatic color value of minimum lightness or maximum darkness; the color of objects that absorb nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; one extreme of the neutral gray series, the opposite being white. Although strictly a response to zero stimulation of the retina, the perception of black appears to depend on contrast with surrounding color stimuli.
White
White Of or relating to a conservative or counterrevolutionary faction, especially one opposing the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war.
Black
A pigment or dye having this color value.
White
With milk added. Used of tea or coffee.
Black
Complete or almost complete absence of light; darkness.
White
(Archaic) Unsullied; pure.
Black
Clothing of the darkest hue, especially such clothing worn for mourning.
White
(Printing) To cover or make illegible with white coloring. Often used with out.
Black
A member of a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin.
White
Bright and colourless; reflecting equal quantities of all frequencies of visible light.
Write in black ink on white paper.
Black
An American descended from peoples of African origin having brown to black skin; an African American.
White
(sometimes capitalized) Of or relating to Caucasians, people of European descent with light-coloured skin.
Black
Something that is colored black.
White
Designated for use by Caucasians.
White drinking fountain
White hospital
Black
The black-colored pieces, as in chess or checkers.
White
Relatively light or pale in colour.
White wine
White grapes
White birch
Black
The player using these pieces.
White
Pale or pallid, as from fear, illness, etc.
Black
The condition of making or operating at a profit
Worked hard to get the business back into the black.
White
Lacking coloration (tan) from ultraviolet light; not tanned.
Black
To make black
Blacked their faces with charcoal.
White
Affected by leucism.
Black
To apply blacking to
Blacked the stove.
White
(of coffee or tea) Containing cream, milk, or creamer.
Black
Chiefly British To boycott as part of a labor union action.
White
The standard denomination of the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the white set, no matter what the actual colour.
The white pieces in this set are in fact made of light green glass.
Black
To become black.
White
Pertaining to an ecclesiastical order whose adherents dress in white habits; Cistercian.
Black
(of an object) Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.
White
Honourable, fair; decent.
Black
(of a place, etc) Without light.
White
Grey, as from old age; having silvery hair; hoary.
Black
(sometimes capitalized) Belonging to or descended from any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. See usage notes below.
White
(archaic) Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favourable.
Black
(US) Belonging to or descended from any of various sub-Saharan African ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin.
White
(obsolete) Regarded with especial favour; favourite; darling.
Black
Designated for use by those ethnic groups (as described above).
Black drinking fountain; black hospital
White
(politics) Pertaining to constitutional or anti-revolutionary political parties or movements.
Black
Of the spades or clubs suits. Compare of the hearts or diamonds suit
I was dealt two red queens, and he got one of the black queens.
White
(of tea) Made from immature leaves and shoots.
Black
Bad; evil; ill-omened.
White
(typography) Not containing characters; see white space.
Black
Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen.
He shot her a black look.
White
(typography) Said of a symbol or character outline, not solid, not filled with color. Compare said of a character or symbol filled with color.
Black
(of objects, markets, etc) Illegitimate, illegal or disgraced.
White
Characterised by the presence of snow.
A white Christmas
A white Easter
Black
Foul; dirty, soiled.
White
(of a set of armor) Alwhite, pertaining to white armor.
Black
Overcrowded.
White
The color/colour of snow or milk; the colour of light containing equal amounts of all visible wavelengths.
Black
(of coffee or tea) Without any cream, milk, or creamer.
Jim drinks his coffee black, but Ellen prefers it with creamer.
White
A person of European descent with light-coloured skin.
Black
Of or relating to the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the "black" set (in chess the set used by the player who moves second) often regardless of the pieces' actual colour.
The black pieces in this chess set are made of dark blue glass.
White
Any butterfly of the subfamily Pierinae in the family Pieridae.
Black
(politics) Anarchist; of or pertaining to anarchism.
White
White wine.
Black
(typography) Said of a symbol or character that is solid, filled with color. Compare said of a character or symbol outline, not filled with color.
White
White coffee
Black
(politics) Related to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
After the election, the parties united in a black-yellow alliance.
White
(countable) Any object or substance that is of the color white.
Black
Clandestine; relating to a political, military, or espionage operation or site, the existence or details of which is withheld from the general public.
5 percent of the Defense Department funding will go to black projects.
Black operations/black ops, black room, black site
White
The albumen of bird eggs (egg white).
Black
Occult; relating to something (such as mystical or magical knowledge) which is unknown to or kept secret from the general public.
White
(anatomy) The sclera, white of the eye.
Black
Protestant, often with the implication of being militantly pro-British or anti-Catholic. 1=Compare blackmouth ("Presbyterian").
The Royal Black Institution
White
The cue ball in cue games.
Black
Having one or more features (hair, fur, armour, clothes, bark, etc) that is dark (or black); in taxonomy, especially: dark in comparison to another species with the same base name.
Black birch, black locust, black rhino
The black knight, black bile
White
Cocaine
Black
The colour/color perceived in the absence of light, but also when no light is reflected, but rather absorbed.
White
The snow- or ice-covered "green" in snow golf.
Black
A black dye or pigment.
White
A white pigment.
Venice white
Black
(countable) A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of black pigment.
White
A white bean
Black
(in the plural) Black cloth hung up at funerals.
White
(archery) The central part of the butt, which was formerly painted white; the centre of a mark at which a missile is shot.
Black
A member of descendant of any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. See usage notes.
White
The enclosed part of a letter of the alphabet, especially when handwritten.
Black
(informal) Blackness, the condition of belonging to or being descended from one of these ethnic groups.
Black don't crack
White
A feather, from the wing of the cock ostrich, that is of the palest possible shade.
Black
The black ball.
White
(transitive) To make white; to whiten; to bleach.
Black
The edge of home plate.
White
Reflecting to the eye all the rays of the spectrum combined; not tinted with any of the proper colors or their mixtures; having the color of pure snow; snowy; - the opposite of black or dark; as, white paper; a white skin.
White as the whitest lily on a stream.
Black
A type of firecracker that is really more dark brown in colour.
White
Destitute of color, as in the cheeks, or of the tinge of blood color; pale; pallid; as, white with fear.
Or whispering with white lips, "The foe!They come! they come!"
Black
, especially as syrup or crème de cassis used for cocktails.
Pernod and black... snakebite and black... cider and black...
White
Having the color of purity; free from spot or blemish, or from guilt or pollution; innocent; pure.
White as thy fame, and as thy honor clear.
No whiter page than Addison's remains.
Black
The person playing with the black set of pieces.
At this point black makes a disastrous move.
White
Gray, as from age; having silvery hair; hoary.
Your high engendered battles 'gainst a headSo old and white as this.
Black
(countable) Something, or a part of a thing, which is black.
White
Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favorable.
On the whole, however, the dominie reckoned this as one of the white days of his life.
Black
A stain; a spot.
White
Regarded with especial favor; favorite; darling.
Come forth, my white spouse.
I am his white boy, and will not be gullet.
Driving their cattle continually with them, and feeding only upon their milk and white meats.
A pistol charged with white powder.
Black
A dark smut fungus, harmful to wheat.
White
Something having the color of snow; something white, or nearly so; as, the white of the eye.
Black
Marijuana.
White
Specifically, the central part of the butt in archery, which was formerly painted white; the center of a mark at which a missile is shot.
'T was I won the wager, though you hit the white.
Black
(transitive) To make black; to blacken.
White
A person with a white skin; a member of the white, or Caucasian, races of men.
Black
(transitive) To apply blacking to (something).
White
A white pigment; as, Venice white.
Black
To boycott, usually as part of an industrial dispute.
White
Any one of numerous species of butterflies belonging to Pieris, and allied genera in which the color is usually white. See Cabbage butterfly, under Cabbage.
Black
(pornography) of a white woman To be fucked by a black man.
White
To make white; to whiten; to whitewash; to bleach.
Whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of . . . uncleanness.
So as no fuller on earth can white them.
Black
Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes.
O night, with hue so black!
White
A member of the Caucasoid race
Black
In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds.
I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud.
White
The quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)
Black
Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible.
White
Australian writer (1912-1990)
Black
Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks.
White
United States political journalist (1915-1986)
Black
Sullenly; threateningly; maliciously; so as to produce blackness.
White
United States architect (1853-1906)
Black
That which is destitute of light or whiteness; the darkest color, or rather a destitution of all color; as, a cloth has a good black.
Black is the badge of hell,The hue of dungeons, and the suit of night.
White
United States writer noted for his humorous essays (1899-1985)
Black
A black pigment or dye.
White
United States educator who in 1865 (with Ezra Cornell) founded Cornell University and served as its first president (1832-1918)
Black
A negro; a person whose skin is of a black color, or shaded with black; esp. a member or descendant of certain African races.
White
A tributary of the Mississippi River that flows southeastward through northern Arkansas and southern Missouri
Black
A black garment or dress; as, she wears black
Friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like show death terrible.
That was the full time they used to wear blacks for the death of their fathers.
White
(board games) the lighter pieces
Black
The part of a thing which is distinguished from the rest by being black.
The black or sight of the eye.
White
(usually in the plural) trousers
Black
A stain; a spot; a smooch.
Defiling her white lawn of chastity with ugly blacks of lust.
White
Turn white;
This detergent will whiten your laundry
Black
To make black; to blacken; to soil; to sully.
They have their teeth blacked, both men and women, for they say a dog hath his teeth white, therefore they will black theirs.
Sins which black thy soul.
White
Being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light;
As white as fresh snow
A bride's white dress
Black
To make black and shining, as boots or a stove, by applying blacking and then polishing with a brush.
White
Of or belonging to a racial group having light skin coloration;
Voting patterns within the white population
Black
The quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
White
Free from moral blemish or impurity; unsullied;
In shining white armor
Black
Total absence of light;
They fumbled around in total darkness
In the black of night
White
Marked by the presence of snow;
A white Christmas
The white hills of a northern winter
Black
British chemist who identified carbon dioxide and who formulated the concepts of specific heat and latent heat (1728-1799)
White
Restricted to whites only;
Under segregation there were even white restrooms and white drinking fountains
A lily-white movement which would expel Negroes from the organization
Black
Popular child actress of the 1930's (born 1927)
White
Glowing white with heat;
White flames
A white-hot center of the fire
Black
A person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa)
White
Benevolent; without malicious intent;
White magic
A white lie
That's white of you
Black
(board games) the darker pieces
White
Of a surface; not written or printed on;
Blank pages
Fill in the blank spaces
A clean page
Wide white margins
Black
Black clothing (worn as a sign of mourning);
The widow wore black
White
(of coffee) having cream or milk added
Black
Make or become black;
The smoke blackened the ceiling
The ceiling blackened
White
Dressed (or especially habited) in white;
White nuns
Black
Being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light;
Black leather jackets
As black as coal
Rich black soil
White
(of hair) having lost its color;
The white hairs of old age
Black
Of or belonging to a racial group having dark skin especially of sub-Saharan African origin;
A great people--a black people--...injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization
White
Ash-colored or anemic looking from illness or emotion;
A face turned ashen
The invalid's blanched cheeks
Tried to speak with bloodless lips
A face livid with shock
Lips...livid with the hue of death
Lips white with terror
A face white with rage
Black
Marked by anger or resentment or hostility;
Black looks
Black words
White
Of summer nights in northern latitudes where the sun barely sets;
White nights
Black
Stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable;
Black deeds
A black lie
His black heart has concocted yet another black deed
Darth Vader of the dark side
A dark purpose
Dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility
The scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him
White
Of the color of milk or fresh snow, due to the reflection of most wavelengths of visible light.
The white snow covered the fields.
Black
Offering little or no hope;
The future looked black
Prospects were bleak
Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult
Took a dim view of things
White
The visible pale color of things that reflect nearly all sunlight, without absorbing any.
She decorated her room in varying shades of white.
Black
(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin;
The stock market crashed on Black Friday
A calamitous defeat
The battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign
Such doctrines, if true, would be absolutely fatal to my theory
It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it
A fateful error
White
A member of a light-skinned people, especially one of European origin.
The demographics included a majority of white.
Black
(of the face) made black especially as with suffused blood;
A face black with fury
White
Pure or innocent.
The white dove is a symbol of peace.
Black
Extremely dark;
A black moonless night
Through the pitch-black woods
It was pitch-dark in the celler
Black
Harshly ironic or sinister;
Black humor
A grim joke
Grim laughter
Fun ranging from slapstick clowning ... to savage mordant wit
Black
(of intelligence operations) deliberately misleading;
Black propaganda
Black
Distributed or sold illicitly;
The black economy pays no taxes
Black
(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame;
Man...has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands
An ignominious retreat
Inglorious defeat
An opprobrious monument to human greed
A shameful display of cowardice
Black
(of coffee) without cream or sugar
Black
Dressed in black;
A black knight
Black friars
Black
Soiled with dirt or soot;
With feet black from playing outdoors
His shirt was black within an hour
Black
Of the darkest color, due to the absence of or complete absorption of light.
He wore a black suit to the funeral.
Black
A black thing or a member of a dark-skinned people.
A black cat crossed her path.
Black
Characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair.
It was a black day for the company.
Black
Total darkness, the absence of light.
The basement was in complete black.
Common Curiosities
Is black a color?
In art, black is considered a color; in physics, it's the absence of visible light.
Why do people wear black to funerals?
Black is traditionally worn at funerals as a sign of mourning.
Can white be considered a color?
Yes, white is considered a color because it reflects all wavelengths of visible light.
What does "black" symbolize in culture?
Black can symbolize power, sophistication, mourning, or evil, depending on the context.
What is "black comedy"?
Black comedy is a genre of humor that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo.
What's a "black box" in an airplane?
A "black box" is an electronic recording device in aircraft to facilitate the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents.
Why is "white" often used at weddings?
White symbolizes purity and new beginnings, which is why it's popular at weddings.
What is the meaning of a "white flag"?
A white flag is universally recognized as a symbol of truce or surrender.
What's a "white lie"?
A white lie is a harmless or trivial lie, often told to avoid hurting someone's feelings.
Does black absorb heat?
Yes, black absorbs all wavelengths of light, converting them into heat.
Do black and white contrast well together?
Yes, black and white create the highest contrast possible, which is why they're used to denote opposites.
Is white clothing cooler in the sun?
Yes, white clothing reflects sunlight, which helps keep the body cooler.
Why are legal documents often in black and white?
Black ink on white paper is the clearest for reading and photocopying, and it provides a formal appearance.
Can black and white be used to describe movies or photographs?
Yes, black and white describe films or photos made without color, focusing on shades and contrasts.
Are black and white considered shades or colors?
In terms of pigment, black is a shade and white is a tint; in terms of light, they are colors.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
